Summary

  • Arsenal join Chelsea in reaching Europa League last 32

  • Gunners' 0-0 draw with Sporting enough to progress

  • Welbeck suffers serious-looking ankle injury

  • Mathieu sent off for foul on Aubameyang

  • Chelsea beat Bate Borisov 1-0 earlier

  • Giroud scores first goal of season

  1. Postpublished at 17:50 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2018

    Bate Borisov v Chelsea (17:55 GMT)

    ChelseaImage source, Getty Images

    This is the first time three Englishmen have started a European match for Chelsea since April 2014 - Gary Cahill, John Terry and Ashley Cole against Atletico Madrid).

    Today it's Cahill, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley.

  2. How Group L lookspublished at 17:46 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2018

    Bate Borisov v Chelsea (17:55 GMT)

    Chelsea have won all opening three games to go six points clear already. A win today would see them through, while a win coupled with a draw in the other game, would see them win the group.

    Group LImage source, .
  3. Elsewhere in Europe...published at 17:43 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2018

    FenerbahceImage source, EPA

    The early games are over.

    Fenerbahce - who are battling relegation in Turkey - have boosted their chances of reaching the knockout stages with a 2-0 win over Anderlecht, who ended with 10 men and are eliminated.

    Kazakh side Astana are going three points clear of Dynamo Kiev at the top of Group K, with Yevgeny Postnikov scoring a late winner in their 2-1 win over Czechs Jablonec.

  4. Kovacic hopes to avoid Liverpool-style slippublished at 17:40 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2018

    Bate Borisov v Chelsea (17:55 GMT)

    Mateo KovacicImage source, Reuters

    Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic hopes they will not make the same slip-up Liverpool did this week.

    The Blues beat tonight's opponents Bate Borisov 3-1 in their last Europa League game.

    But Liverpool had beaten Red Star Belgrade 4-0 in the Champions League, before losing their away meeting 2-0 on Tuesday.

    "I watched the game, Liverpool struggled a lot," the Croat said.

    "In Belgrade the atmosphere is tough. It's difficult to play there, like here [Belarus]. These are games where you need to concentrate a lot or you will lose the game.

    "The most important thing is we need to be prepared so that what happened to Liverpool doesn't happen to us."

  5. Postpublished at 17:38 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2018

    Bate Borisov v Chelsea (17:55 GMT)

    Chelsea have now won six consecutive Europa League games, since a 3-2 defeat at Rubin Kazan in April 2013.

    They have had the most shots in the competition so far (73), while also facing fewer than any other team (15).

    Gary CahillImage source, Reuters
  6. Bate's misery against English sidespublished at 17:33 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2018

    Bate Borisov have lost four of their five meetings with English clubs, including two weeks ago to Chelsea. They beat Everton in 2009, after the Toffees had already qualified.

    All five matches were in the Europa League group stages.

  7. Borisov Bate the opposition againpublished at 17:29 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2018

    Bate Borisov won their 13th consecutive Belarusian league title on Sunday with a 1-0 win over Neman Grodno.

    They have won 15 out of 23 Belarusian titles - as well as winning two promotions - since being reformed in 1996.

    Bate are now one off the European record of 14 consecutive league titles - held by Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar (2002-2016) and Skonto Riga of Latvia (1991-2004).

    The next most dominant teams in Europe currently are Juventus, Celtic, Ludogorets Razgrad and The New Saints (seven in a row).

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  8. Elsewhere in Europe...published at 17:27 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2018

    Fenerbahce are leading 2-0 against Anderlecht. Mathieu Valbuena gave the Turkish side the lead, with Michael Frey adding a second four minutes later.

    The Belgian side are going out unless they at least draw.

    Fenerbahce's Michael FreyImage source, Reuters
  9. Postpublished at 17:25 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2018

    Real BetisImage source, EPA

    20:00 GMT

    Real Betis v AC Milan (Betis could go through with win - depends on other result)

    Bayer Leverkusen v FC Zurich (Zurich will go through with victory, Leverkusen could go through with win - depending on another result)

    Rosenborg v Red Bull Salzburg (Salzburg through if they draw and Celtic lose, or if they win and Celtic draw)

    Dinamo Zagreb v Spartak Trnava (Dinamo will go through with victory)

    Bordeaux v Zenit St Petersburg

  10. Postpublished at 17:22 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2018

    LazioImage source, EPA

    17:55 GMT

    Lazio v Marseille (Lazio could go through with win, depending on other result, Marseille out if they lose)

    Apollon Limassol v Eintracht Frankfurt (Frankfurt will progress with victory)

    Akhisarspor v Sevilla

    Rapid Vienna v Villarreal

    Genk v Bestikas

  11. Postpublished at 17:21 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2018

    Here's a selected list of some of tonight's other games...

  12. 'Not any risk with Hazard playing'published at 17:20 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2018

    Bate Borisov v Chelsea (17:55 GMT)

    Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri does not see playing Eden Hazard today as a risk.

    The Belgian missed three games with a back injury and made his comeback from the bench against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

    "There is not any risk, otherwise he would stay in Cobham, of course," the Italian said in Wednesday's pre-match news conference,

    "We thought for him it's better to play, not for 90 minutes, but to play after two weeks without training.

    "In the last match he played only for 30 minutes. The best for him is he will play 45, 50 minutes."

    Eden HazardImage source, Getty Images
  13. Scottish rivals playing toopublished at 17:18 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2018

    CelticImage source, Reuters

    Rangers and Celtic are also in action tonight.

    Rangers are away to Spartak Moscow at 17:55 GMT - nothing can be decided in that game. And Celtic could be eliminated tonight.

    If the Bhoys lose to RB Leipzig at 20:00 GMT, and Red Bull Salzburg don't lose to point-less Rosenborg, they are out.

    Leipzig would go through if they win... so long as Rosenborg don't shock Salzburg.

    We will bring you occasional updates of those games here, but our colleagues in BBC Scotland are running a dedicated live page of them this way.

  14. Elsewhere in Europepublished at 17:14 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2018

    There are two games already happening today - 15:50 GMT kick-offs.

    Fenerbahce and Anderlecht are drawing 0-0. The Belgian visitors would be out if they lost today.

    And Astana are drawing 1-1 with Jablonec - nothing can be decided today in that group.

    FenerbahceImage source, Reuters
  15. Postpublished at 17:11 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2018

    There are 10 sides who can book their place in the next round today - Eintracht Frankfurt, Lazio, Chelsea, FC Zurich, Bayer Leverkusen, Red Bull Salzburg, RB Leipzig, Dinamo Zagreb, Arsenal and Real Betis.

  16. Team newspublished at 17:08 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2018

    Bate Borisov v Chelsea (17:55 GMT)

    The big news for Chelsea is Eden Hazard is in the starting XI.

    Chelsea make seven changes from Sunday's 3-1 win over Crystal Palace but there are plenty of first team regulars in the team.

    Ruben Loftus-Cheek starts - having scored a hat-trick in the previous game against Bate.

    Former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder Alexander Hleb - in his fifth spell at Bate Borisov - is in their starting XI.

    Bate: Scherbitski, Filipenko, Volkov, Filipovic, Rios, Hleb, Baga, Dragun, Signevich, Skavysh, Stasevich.

    Chelsea: Kepa, Christensen, Emerson, Cahill, Zappacosta, Barkley, Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Giroud, Hazard, Pedro

  17. Postpublished at 17:05 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2018

    Group EImage source, .

    Chelsea are away to Bate Borisov at 17:55 GMT, with Arsenal hosting Sporting Lisbon at 20:00 GMT.

    The Blues will win Group L if they win and Vidi and PAOK draw at the same time.

    The Gunners can go through with a draw, if Qarabag beat Vorskla Poltava in Group E's other game.

    Group LImage source, .
  18. Simple for Chelsea and Arsenalpublished at 16:28 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2018

    You can throw your permutations books out the window tonight, it is fairly straightforward for Chelsea and Arsenal - win and they're into the last 32 of the Europa League.

    Welcome to live commentary of the fourth round of group games.